The Hillsborough inquest continues; dozens were killed in a new year’s crush on the waterfront in downtown Shanghai; the Hogmanay celebrations in Edinburgh saw revellers treated for crush injuries and others had to reportedly climb over a fence to avoid crushing. Security and safety of crowds go together, and when they go wrong they can be painful and even fatal.
A conference in Crowd Science is running at Manchester Central on March 10. The aim of the day is to investigate crowd psychology and crowd modelling. Speakers include Prof Keith Still of Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU), author of Introduction to Crowd Science (CRC Press), who’s to give his inaugural lecture. He featured in the October 2014 print issue of Professional Security magazine. Other speakers invited are:
Dr John Drury, Reader in Social Psychology, University of Sussex;
Dr Otto Adang, Chair Public Order Management Police Academy of the Netherlands;
Dr. Winnie Daamen, Associate professor Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands;
Prof Dr Clifford Stott, Principal Research Fellow School in Security and Justice in the School of Law; and
Prof Martyn Amos, School of Computing, Mathematics & Digital Technology, Manchester Metropolitan University.
The day costs £100; register on the MMU website.
Keith Still will run a two-day workshop that follows at Manchester Metropolitan University on March 11 and 12 that aims to cover how individuals and crowds react, and behave, in places of public assembly.
In 2015, Manchester Metropolitan will introduce a new Masters course in Crowd Safety and Risk Analysis, aimed at those working within the events industry that have key roles in the planning and management of crowds. For more on the part-time, distance learning course, taking up to three years, visit: www2.mmu.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/taught/2015/12740/.
Introduction to Crowd Science, by Keith Still. Published 2014 by CRC Press, hardback, 300 Pages. ISBN 781466579644. Price: £64 online. Visit www.crcpress.com.
For more about Keith Still and his work visit http://gkstill.com.
Pictured: Wembley Stadium last spring for the FA Cup semi-final between Wigan and Arsenal, on the 25th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster.
